Spiritbenders
by OctoberThirtyFirst
Summary: As the two spirit portals remain open and fill the mortal world with spirit energy, so rises a different sort of bending. To stop Spiritbenders from sending the world into chaos, Korra must awaken the oldest spirit of all: the spirit of death, with his piercing green eyes. Set immediately after season 3.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The cavern was spined with jagged crystals. Roof, walls, floor, all covered with the purple growth, each as wide as a man's arm and as tall as was allowed. Barely a sliver of rock could be seen in the midst – even the air was filled with a purple haze, thick like cloud cover but it moved without the aid of wind.

In the centre of it all was a single column of crystal, reaching from the ground to the ceiling. Within was a man, frozen, his head thrown back, limbs sprawled. The richness of the crystal made it so no feature was distinguishable, none except his wide open eyes from which a keen awareness hung.

How long had he been trapped here? Trapped in his own domain? Years, decades, centuries. Millennia? So long that his own subjects have forgotten his existence. So long that the spirits he'd known before his imprisonment had long since changed, morphed from the youthful, immature forms to beings with power as great as his own.

Yet for all that this was his realm, he was powerless in his prison. With only his mind for company, it took all the focus he had to remain sane – and even then, he had his doubts. He couldn't stand it any longer, but that was a familiar thought, frequented every day that he was held.

There was a change. Recent, not more than an eye-blink's time had passed. Something was different, and dare as he must, a grain of hope grew that he'd one day be free of this prison. The prison of Death, or as a handful of humans had known of him, long ago and in another world, Harry James Potter.

#scene break#

A light breeze stirred the curtains of Korra's room in Air Temple Island as the evening's news played out on short bursts from radio. From outside, the scent of jade blossoms and the sweetness of apple pie.

Korra wheeled herself around, grabbed a hair tie and strung up her regular do. The simple dresser by her bed had a mirror attached, but now it was much too high with her bound to the wheelchair. She strained, pushing herself up with a light gust of air, testing the strength in her legs and managed a glimpse.

"Today marks the first day in the Air Nomad's patrol as the newest master airbender, Jinora, leads relief efforts to eastern Earth Kingdom." The radio crackled from across the room.

A small smile from Korra. Jinora, with her new tattoos, was still the same girl she'd always been but now, with the added responsibility of leading the newly trained airbenders, she was someone to be proud of. The eastern Earth Kingdom? If the weather held true, they should be safely there in two or three days. A little longer with the supply packages on their gliders.

"As the initial wave of relief, the airbenders have elected the port town of Ting Lo as their first mission of choice, where they will review the situation and make necessary preparations for evacuations if necessary. The town has been overrun with a forest of bamboo shoots, seemingly grown overnight. Is this another manifestation of the spirit world? Is the Avatar responsible for this like she is for the vines still keeping many of Republic City's resident-?"

The radio fizzed out, the announcer cut off midsentence. Korra spun herself to face the door.

"What are you doing, listening to this kind of garbage?" Mako leaned against the frame, arms crossed, clad in his police uniform.

"It's not garbage, it's the news."

He kept her gaze. Korra, already conscious at being caught unawares, gripped the handles of her wheelchair tight. She didn't like looking up at him, as if she was a child and him a full grown man. They'd never had to do anything but look straight at each other before, and this sudden change was just another in a long line of changes.

"You're letting it get to you. You know there's always going to be people questioning your actions. There's no escaping it, not if you're the Avatar."

"So what? Did you come up here just to lecture me about my responsibilities? I thought you'd have enough work trying to keep order in the city, or did Lin mellow out after her return?"

Silence. Damn it, Mako hadn't tried to stir her up. He never did.

Korra sighed, wiped a hand across her eyes and looked to the side. "Sorry. I'm not trying to kick you out. It's just…"

Mako neared, his combat duty boots scuffing the boards as he stepped. He knelt, dipping to be on the same level. "You're still not making any progress with -"

"Heeeeey! Pema made me ask what's taking so long. Dinner's ready!" Bolin barrelled in, squeezed in between Korra and Mako and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He took in Mako, kneeling, and blinked. "Oh uhhh. Did I interrupt something? Ah well, can't have been more important than dinner. Come on, you guys. If we don't get back soon Ikki and Meelo are going to eat all the dessert."

Mako grimaced good-naturedly and raised an eyebrow.

Korra shrugged. What could they do with Bolin? What would they do without him? But internally, she was glad the conversation was over. If there was anyone more frustrated with her lack of progress, it was herself. Her legs lay still in front of her, as still as the day she woke from her poisoning. Just when was she going to get rid of this stupid chair? When could she return to being the Avatar for real?

"Come on, Mako. I'll race you with Korra."

Without a moment to prepare, Bolin snatched the rear handles of her wheelchair and made a dash for the door. Korra gritted her teeth, eyes wide as adrenaline shot through her body. Unwilling, a smile of pure excitement stretched her lips.

Mako's shouts faded into the background as Bolin kicked up a dust storm inside the house and the careened through the corridors, dodging vases balanced on display tables and left a trail of fluttering scrolls and bemused onlookers in their wake.

"Through the kitchens, Bolin. It'll take us straight to the dining room." Korra flung out an arm, leant forwards. The streak of competitiveness delighting in how far behind Mako was already.

"Aye, aye, captain. Through the kitch-"

A trail of yellow and orange, startled eyes and barely disguised horror as Tenzin emerged from the cloth covered door to the kitchens. Bolin yelped and dug in his heels but they were going too fast. Korra threw her arms up in anticipated crash. Tenzin drew in a deep breath, his chest puffed out and out breathed a torrent of air.

Korra's hair flew back from her face, leaving her ties in disarray and they slowed, teetered as the momentum threw Bolin onto the back of her chair and for a second, both of them balanced on the front wheels of her chair.

Then Tenzin re-centered, brushed his hands across his chest and a soft puff of air lowered the two of them down. Mako skidded to a stop before them, panting. Korra shared a sheepish look with Bolin who scratched the back of his head. He shuffled so he stood behind her. Ahh well, she thought. She'd dealt with Tenzin's anger enough times in the past to have a handle on how things will turn out.

"Uhh. Hi Tenzin," Korra said with a wonky grin.

"Tenzin? What are you doing out here. I thought you'd be having dinner like the _normal_ people around here," Mako said between breaths.

Tenzin brushed down his airbender robes and folded his arms. He looked serious, but Tenzin always looked serious. Korra frowned. But today he looked more serious than normal.

The smile slipped. "What's wrong?" she asked.

The master airbender blinked down at her. Korra pushed away the feeling of being a child. It wasn't true, she knew she had earned his respect. It was only a matter of circumstance that she felt this way, this blasted chair and these blasted legs.

"It's nothing. A spot of trouble at the markets. A few people spooked at some spirits. I'm just going to take a quick trip and reassure everyone that they're fine. With luck, I'll be back before tea."

Mako stepped to the side and let Tenzin brush past. They waited until the master airbender had launched off with his glider. Korra stroked her chin in thought.

"Is it me or does it seem odd that _Tenzin's_ out on a mission to _reassure_ people?" Bolin said. "I mean, he's the grand, master, head of the airbender nation. Isn't this a bit like sending out the President to fetch the paper?"

Mako smacked Bolin on the back of the head. "You're reading too much into this."

"No," Korra said, "I think Bolin's right."

"Ha! Did you hear that, Mako? She thinks I'm right. Pabu, you heard that, right?"

Pabu, the fire ferret, poked his head out of Bolin's jacket, took a sniff around and scrambled off under the flap of the kitchen screen.

"Uhoh. You better catch him. Or he's going to end up in the sweet flour again."

"Nooo. Pabu, come back here." Bolin dug through his pockets and brandished a half-eaten candy bar. "Look what I have here. A treat, just for you. Come on buddy, don't make me have to clean up the white, horrid mess of flour like last time. Come here, Pabu."

Korra took one more look towards the temple gates, where Tenzin took off. Then she released her wheelchair brakes and wheeled herself after Bolin. Mako followed after her, keeping with her slower pace. He knew better than to ask if she wanted to be pushed.

They paused in the kitchen as the pans clattered in Bolin's attempt to lure Pabu out from under one of the stoves. There were four stoves in all, between them benches laden with stews and baskets of freshly picked greens. In one basket, pears and in another, the peculiar brand of purple carrots native to Yue Bay. Above them jangled an array of cooking utensils, hung on hooks along the wall. A freshly baked apple pie sat under a dome of netting, steaming and smelling divine.

Pabu, also lured by the scent, shot out, lightning quick, made the tabletop in one giant leap. A bang as Bolin hit his head on the base of the stove. Korra grimaced as the earthbender emerged, muttering under his breath and rubbing the back of his head for a totally different reason to before.

Pabu crouched, tail high in the air, nose pointed directly for the cloche covered pie.

"No! Not the apple pie. Bad Pabu!"

Mako snapped down. Pabu's ears could only twitch before he was swept up in Mako's arms. Tiny paws reached for the pie as all four limbs did their best to pry him away.

"Gotcha!"

"Nice going, Mako," Korra said. She rolled her eyes. "Congratulations. You are officially the fire ferret catcher."

"Hey," Mako said. "I didn't see you helping out."

Pabu, in the moment of distraction, jumped out, only to be caught again by Bolin. "Aww, I know, I know. I want a piece of that pie as well. But you know the drill. Only after you eat your vegetables."

Korra pressed her lips into a thin line, narrowed her eyes at Mako and wheeled off without a word. Help? He wanted her to help him catch a single fire ferret? One single, slippery, intelligent fire ferret in the form of Pabu? Well, maybe the request wasn't that farfetched. And he was right, that she hadn't been of help. Kora reached the end of the kitchen, where this time a wooden door faced her. Another adversary.

She manoeuvred herself to the side so she could both reach the handle and not be in the way of the door. It was a tricky thing, with how weak her legs still were, taking all of her reach to manage opening a simple door. She caught the latch, flicked it open and pulled the door open.

Only to have it clunk on the footrest of her chair.

"Blasted thing," she said.

"Oh, hey. I'll get that," Bolin said with an armful of Pabu.

"No, don't bother. I've got it." Korra wheeled herself back, readjusted, and this time the door opened, no problem. As soon as it was, Bolin pressed through, a wide grin on his face at the sight of the loaded table.

"Oh boy, you didn't have to wait for us."

Ikki and Meelo nudged each other, their arms behind their backs and with perfectly innocent smiles on their faces. Pema held baby Rohan, feeding him from a bottle. Bolin collapsed in between them, and Mako settled down beside him.

"Korra, come. We asked chef Olin to cook some of your favourates today. Stewed sea prunes." Pema held up a bowl to Korra and she took it.

It did smell good. The taste of salt and ice, and if cooked properly, just a hint of bite in the flesh.

"Thanks. Sorry I kept you."

Pema smiled. "Not to worry. The food's still hot, so dig in."

Korra wheeled herself to her place at the table, next to Mako and lifted the bowl of prunes up to her nose. Mmmm. Just like mother used to make. A moment of peace as Ikki fought Meelo to reach the sugared pear swirls. She closed her eyes and saw the ice plains of the southern water tribe, creaking, and imagined all the spirits that must have come out through the portal to live among the humans. With luck, the tribe would fare better with the changes than Republic City. They'd know that spirits aren't anything to be afraid of, not if you don't wrong them.

The door slammed open. A burst of cool night air rushed into the room. Tenzin filled the doorway, his hands clenching the boarders, beard frazzled and the airbending cape thrown lopsided over one shoulder.

"Bolin! Mako! I need your help. A spirit has gone mad."

"What?!" Korra dropped her bowl of prunes, caught the soup right before it splashed onto the table and rolled it into a sphere. She let it drop into the upturned bowl and peeled back from the table as Mako and Bolin jumped up into ready stances.

"What do you mean, mad?" she asked. "And I'm coming too."

"Korra, no. You're not yet recovered and Katara will be arriving tonight for your first healing session. Don't worry about us. I'm much more experienced with the spirit realm than I used to be, and there'll be the best of Lin's metalbenders backing us up. Now, we have to move."

Korra bit her lip, staying in place as the three men left. She dropped her gaze to her lap, eyed the bowl of prunes she saved and found their allure had faded.

"I'm a giant spirit," Meelo said, arms reached above his head, baring his teeth at his sister. "Just try to stop me." He roared and the sound, magnified with bending, echoed through the whole temple.

Ikki, scrunched her nose up in annoyance and blasted him with a thin yet of air from her fingers.

"Meelo, sit back down and finish your dinner."

Korra had never felt as distant from them as she did now. They were a happy family. She shouldn't be here, intruding. She wasn't even hungry anymore. With agonising slowness, she eased herself away. Back to her room, perhaps, where she'd wait for Katara. If only she'd been able to get back on her feet. It's been two weeks already. Then she wouldn't have had to pull the elderly waterbender all the way up to Republic city.

"Korra?" came Ikki's concerned voice from behind her. "Is everything alright?"

Alright? Everything was… fine. The world was doing just… fine without her. It was what she had been fighting for this whole time. The restoration of the air nomads. Balance between the spirit realm and the humans. This whole business with Tenzin's 'mad spirit' will settle down soon. No doubt some foolish human had accidentally desecrated a sacred site, or something to that effect. And now, with her bound to the wheelchair, everyone was forced to take matters into their own hands and they weren't struggling as much as she had thought. Hoped?

No.

She forced a smile back on, turned back to Ikki. "Everything's just great. Thanks for the food but I already ate earlier, Pema. I'll be in my room if you need anything."

Then, avoiding all of their gazes, Korra made for the door. They didn't try to stop her.

#chapter end#

**AN: Soooo. I couldn't _not_ write this. What do you think? Continue? I know I'm in need of some Korra action after that season 3 finale. Such an awesome show, and totally excited for season 4 next year. Not sure how many people are interested in a LoK x HP seeing as there's only like 10 crossovers in the genre but whatever. If you like, please review! **

**Thanks for reading, and until next time, **

**31st **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

A knock came at the door. Korra spun around in her chair and tried to shrug off her frown. Behind her, the towers of Republic city peaked over the waters of Yue bay.

"It's not locked," she called.

The door eased open as Katara let herself in. Dressed in her water tribe clothes, though without the fur overcoat in the warmer climate of the Earth kingdom, she was as elegant as ever, and smiling with such warmth that lifted Korra's mood instantly.

"Korra. It's so good to see you again."

Korra smiled. "It's good to see you too."

"May I come in?"

Blinking, Korra wheeled herself back to give the older woman space. "Of course."

They both settled close to the window and Korra found herself looking out into the waters, unwilling to meet Katara's gaze.

"And how are you going, Korra?"

Korra felt the silence between them, uncertain of her response. When the old waterbender didn't continue, Korra shrugged.

"I've been doing strengthening exercises every day. Half an hour in the morning, noon, afternoon. Stretches to keep myself limber. And the regular bend-"

"I mean how are you feeling?"

"Oh." That put Korra in a bind. Just what was she feeling? The question was too large to be contained in so few words and the longer the silence dragged past, the more unnerved Korra became when she realised that she didn't have an answer.

"I'm fine, I guess," she said.

Katra didn't seem to believe her but Korra held firm. If she wasn't fine now, she would be fine before too long.

"Well you know you can always talk to me. If you need to clear your thoughts."

Korra nodded, a thin smile stretched on her lips.

"Alright. Let me take a look at you then. What do you feel in your legs?"

Thankful that the conversation had moved to more concrete matters, Korra straightened her back. "There's no pain, only discomfort if I sit still for too long. Mainly my legs just feel weak. I can't put any weight into them, not for more than a second."

Katara hummed and uncorked her hip flask. She rolled a sphere of water in her hands and pressed it to Korra's hip. Between the elderly waterbender's fingers came a calming blue light as Korra felt her muscles ease. She blinked. Had her legs been that taught and stiff?

This was it. Katara was the best healer the world has seen for a long time. If she couldn't make Korra's legs regain their strength, no one can. Already, she could feel something changing. Her shoulders eased, the corners of her eyes smoothed from wrinkles that hadn't even knew existed. A tingling travelled down from her hips to the tips of her toes. She wriggled at the sensation.

A roar came from outside. A jolt of adrenaline flushed through Korra's body as she reached to a sound she'd heard many times before. A flying bison in distress. There was no mistaking it. Tenzin's bison.

Korra's eyes snapped open and she rushed to the window, gripped the rim and leaned all the way out. Her knees shook. With a gasp, she turned to find her chair back where she left it. She was standing with her own strength!

Korra collapsed on her bed before her legs could buckle out from underneath her. She drew them up, rubbing her thighs, trying to get the circulation flowing and stop the sudden bout of tingling that was travelling up from her toes.

Katara laid a hand on her shoulder but her gaze was at the window. "What was it?"

Korra narrowed her eyes. "It's Tenzin. He, Bolin and Mako left to take care of some spirits earlier today. It doesn't sound good." She gripped the trousers covering her legs. "I'm going to go check it out." With a deep breath, Korra pushed herself up and steadied herself on her two legs.

"Korra-" Katara stood as well, lifting her hand in an attempt to get Korra to stay.

"No. I need to do this." Korra braced herself and tensed her thighs. She took a hesitant step. It held. She looked up, for the first time since the fight that she could lift her head high. Step. Then step. It wasn't close to how she moved before, but this taste of healing was what she needed. She'd get back on her feet, literally and figuratively. She'd make it work and things will go back to the way the were before.

But for now, she made for the door, as the commotion grew outside. Tenzin needed her help, she knew it.

With Katara at her heels, Korra shuffled down through the Air Temple, leaning along the walls as she needed to, slowing when she felt her legs threaten to give. When they neared the entrance, Katara broke off and surged ahead, reaching for her hip flask. Korra gritted her teeth. If Tenzin was injured, then she was needed as well. A grim smile twisted her lips. The Avatar was needed.

A space in the centre of the court yard was cleared where Tenzin landed. Katara bent over him already at work attending to a slash along the man's arm. Mako and Bolin, thankfully, didn't seem too injured but each nursed little grazes and bruises. Mako limped to sink into the fur of Tenzin's bison. Bolin met Korra's eyes. His jaw dropped and she spared a second to flash him a genuine smile.

With on final look around. Korra pursed her lips. Time to get to work herself.

She took her hand off the sides of the door, stood over them all on top of the stairs, then gathered the airbending frame and launched herself into the sky.

"Korra!" came Bolin's startled shout.

But she was already caught by the wind as it's ferocious pull dragged her too far away to hear. The air parted in front of her, wrapping around her sides before joining at her feet in a slickstream. Beneath the wings of the glider she wove threads of high pressure, and above them, drawing away the air to build her lift. With a twist of her shoulders, Korra angled the nose straight towards Republic City.

She narrowed her eyes. Ever from the middle of Yue bay, she could make out something that rose above the residential buildings downtown. It was large alright, rising easily twenty stories and from the smoke coming from the rooftops nearby, it had already done some damage to the homes in the area. Lit from the street lights below, Korra made out a thick half-dome of a head, studded with misshapen polyps that migrated over the surface, shifting colours as they went.

The skies around the spirit was abuzz with small planes, from which metalbenders threw out steel chords in an attempt to trap the spirit in place. Korra gritted her teeth and in another burst of speed passed the docks of Republic City. She was just in time to see two tapered arms peel away from the spirit's central dome. The whipped out, thicker than a grown man's waist and struck the metalbenders' chords out from the air.

Korra spied familiar streets below as she scanned for a place to land. One rooftop called out to her with its small luxurious garden, complete with fountain and pool. She let the air pressure drop, dipped into a nosedive, wind whipping past her as she fell through the air, supported by nothing but confidence that she'd catch herself in time.

She timed her descent, took careful measurement of the speed and the distance she needed to pass. There. The wings of her glider burst open, she shot a plume of air at the rooftop and slowed herself enough to land in a roll. She tucked her head in, readied her arms to take the brunt of the impact and flipped herself over.

The jar of the landing shocked up through her arms but she sprang around before the force could do any damage.

Korra righted herself, brushing dust off her clothes and rolled her shoulder in its socket, knowing full well she could have stuck the landing if only she'd had her legs.

Beneath her, the spirit raged on, bellowing out a white noise of a roar, unaware of her arrival. Two more arms spiralled atop its head, dashing away the metalbenders' attempts to restrain it with seemingly little effort. From within the rapid thuds of a newly arrived helicopter came the faint sound of raised voices, orders being called and followed. This helicopter, larger than the ones already in the sky, was reinforced with sheets of metal and had blades twice as long. It dashed into a space right on top of the spirit and before the four arms could react, dropped a package through an under hatch and sped off. The small ball, no more than a meter wide at first blossomed out as it fell, unfolding a thousand interwoven metal fibres until a net met the flailing arms and pinned them down against the domed body of the spirit.

Seeing the spirit momentarily trapped, Korra drew her still weak legs into a lotus position, pressed her hands together and tried to drown out the sounds of mentalbenders shouting, of buildings crumbling from the combined assault, and the spirit as it made a deep chatter filled with an uncountable tones. It was almost like the drone of hornetbirds, only if there was a hundred of them crying all at once. Korra grimaced, then took a deep breath and cleared her expression. She had to be at peace. At peace.

All became quiet. Her breath slowed, became measured. She opened her eyes, her arms sweeped over her head, drawing a trail of water from the rooftop pond and stretched it over to the base of the spirit. Then, another strand, winding them up in two helices.

The spirit stilled, ceasing its struggle in the net and Korra could feel as the focus of its attention shifted, seeking, searching until it found her at the end of the water trail. The arms sunk deep into the dome, as if the spirit, too, was made of water. Then, in a giant bulbous shudder, it sucked the net through its body and reformed, whole on the other side. The net sank, useless, to the ground. Its arms reformed and the spirit lashed out at Korra's water helix, but readied, Korra sweeped her helix into multiple strands and arms passed harmlessly. Not good. She needed time to calm and banish the spirit and the metalbenders' net had only bought her a fraction of a second.

With grim determination, Korra sent another strand of water.

The spirit ignored the steel cables and tentatively swiped at the water. The strand burst but Korra didn't lose concentration. She reformed the helices, stretched them further up to the bulbous head and secured the two strands in place.

Half a dozen arms split off from the main body, slashed at Korra's water. A trail of sweat dripped down her forehead and into her eyes. She clenched her fist, gathered herself and tried again. Three thundering thumps nearly startled her out of focus as three huge columns of metal latched into the ground around the spirit. They passed within meters of her water and, several times thicker than the regular cords used by the police, served as ample distraction for the huge spirit.

Peace. Overflow with so much peace it transferred from her to the spirit. The helices started to glow gold and with them, the base of the spirit. It stopped still in its tracks, tilted its head down to consider this new phenomenon. Though it didn't have eyes - not that Korra could make out from all the colours - it stared down, as all the multitude of colours became a single hue. The gold washed over the spirit as it dropped its arms and slumped.

Around them, the constant whirling blades of the helicopters were drowned out. All that Korra could hear was a single crescendo of a note. Her fingers tingled and a lightness in her chest made breathing difficult.

The edges of gold flowed above the spirit's dome and merged. Dark spots blinked through the gold and Korra held her breath in concern. But then she saw that the spots were everywhere, and a wave of light-headedness washed over her. Keep it together, she thought. Just a little more-

Then, from the base of the spirit, ting golden flecks started to disintegrate. In layers, the spirit fell apart and disappeared into the spirit world. The world spun and Korra let her control of her water helices slip. They fell to the ground as the last of the gold had faded into the air.

Korra slumped to the side, the world went black and she fell into the warmth of exhausted sleep.

xxx scenebreak xxx

The smell was what woke her. A horrid, putrid stench of rotting meat and bog gas. Korra slitted open her eyes and gasped. She threw up her arms in disgust, only to overbalance on the tree branch, slick with moss and tumble over the edge. She hit another leaf strewn branch before splashing to a stop.

With the remnants of her dry clothes, she wiped her face clear and picked herself up from the waist deep swamp water. Around her rose columns of straight, uniform trunks, their roots twisted in a mesh that extended as far as she could see. This wasn't Republic City, no way. Korra wasn't sure where exactly she was, but the furry eared spirit peaking out at her from a treehole certainly gave her a few guesses.

Why was she in the spirit world?

With a squeak, the small squirrel-like spirit sped out of its hole and twisted up the trunk to the next branch up. It alerted Korra to a sound, blurred as if from afar. She narrowed her eyes and took the small spirit's lead and took cover behind a trunk. From beyond the mists, a shadow loomed. A familiar voice rang out through the mist.

Korra blinked and a smile lit up her face. She stepped out and started at a run. The mists cleared before her and from them emerged the green-robed stocky form, the bald head, the friendly eyes of Iroh.

"Oh, Korra, I didn't expect to find you here."

Iroh held in his hands a lantern, raised to illuminate the swamp. Despite his words, he held up his hands and welcomed her with a hug.

"Iroh!" She pulled back. "I'm glad you found me anyway, but if you weren't looking for me, then what are you here for?"

Iroh smiled and opened his hand to reveal a set of four glistening blue berries. A chattering squeak came from directly overhead before the small squirrel spirit dropped out of the branches and latched onto Iroh's arm. The man guffled and scratched the spirit lightly between the ears.

"I was looking for Scratcher here, helping out a friend of mine." Iroh opened the draw bag on his back and placed the spirit on his shoulder. "Go on in, there's plenty more inside."

Korra eyed 'Scratcher' as it slunk curiously into the bag. Iroh pulled it shut promptly and swung it around his shoulders with a satisfied smile.

"I need to go back to the human world," Korra said. "There was just a battle and I should go help them with recovery."

Iroh turned back to her and leaned close. "I sense you are in a hurry. I know of the battle you speak of and some information from my friends that may allay your concerns. You need not be the answer to all of Republic City's problems. The metalbenders and the everyday people manage well enough now that the spirit is returned." He handed the lantern to Korra. "Please, my arms are getting tired. I would appreciate if you could carry this a while for me. We should walk, Korra." Iroh wrinkled his nose. "Let us walk and get out of this stinky swamp. I must return Scratcher to my friend and we have other matters to speak of. The spirit world is restless, Korra, and for once, I have no idea why."

**AN: Firstly, thanks to everyone who reviewed! Opinr, SKARMORY57, Le Diablo Blanc2, Far Away in Wonderland, ksunik97, ChaoticallyAwkward, MsMusicLover, Itns, , kageshini, Victorules, Akela Victoire, alia00, Snargluff Pod, Guest, and FunnyDs1! Thank you for all the support and for being my first reviewers for this story. Hope you enjoyed this chap. Not much Harry yet but we're getting there.**

**Until next time, **

**31st**


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